Week 4: Pizza overload?

No

It's not actually possible to have too much pizza.  I would know.  I've tried.
I managed to have pizza 4 times over the past week and I would do it again if people would let me.
My friend Steve arrived from Canada on Thursday and the schedule called for pizza, so pizza was had.  We went back to one of my favourite places on Via Germanico L"Archetto and had a four cheese pizza.  Steve had a salmon pizza which he loved as well.  So far L"Archetto has the best four cheese pizza that I've found.

Pizzeria L'Archetto di Puglia Pietro e Cicchetti Favio Snc.  

Via Germanico 105

Four cheese pizza

Price: ~9  8/10

Service 8/10

Taste 9

Overall - 8.5

A bit thin crust and the edges are often burnt slightly but still amazing.  I wouldn't argue if they were slightly larger as well but that's just being a bit picky.

Our fearless opponents

Friday was a trip to Talamone in Tuscany for camping and swimming and exploring.  It was a great time with a group of 9 of us.  We managed to go cliff (small cliffs) jumping, swimming, snorkling, biking, life size chess playing, ping pong, and listening to certain people talk all night and play card games so that we couldn't sleep.  Not an easy place to get to the first time.  It also happens to be the place where the Costa Concordia sank.

Unfortunately the place was all booked up for dinner.  The staff were kind enough to seat us late but they only had pizza left.  I was naturally devastated but didn't complain once and ate the whole pizza (and some of other peoples').  Pizza was unsurprisingly not of great quality but considering it was at a camp ground it was still pretty good.

Talamone camp ground

Tomato mozzarella, rocket (arugula) and zucchini

Price ~9   8/10

Service 7/10 but they did serve us which was great

Taste 6.5/10

Overall 7/10

Much better than the meal the second day.

On Saturday we went exploring in Talamone beach (where the opening scene to James Bond Quantum of Solace was filmed).  We didn't see any Etrusian or Etruscan ruins but there was a 12th century castle and beautiful scenery and swimming.  Again my detractors were foiled by a restaurant being closed and thus we were forced to eat pizza again in the town piazza.  They had terrible Aperol spritz but the pizza was still pretty good.  The original pizza wife obviously is jealous of my pizza fame and wanted to join the blog.

Piazza IV Novembre 1

4 cheese pizza

Price ~10   7/10

Service 8/10

Taste 7.5/10

Overall 7.5/10

Worth going again and a nice ambiance

Sunday was the trip back to Rome and since we were all very tired, I was able to convince Steve and pizza wife #1 that going across the street for pizza was the best option for all of us.  Naturally I was correct and it was great and very satisfying although Steve found out that pouring Coke into a full glass of water makes both not taste very good.

Pizzeria Hostaria Vongole e Farina

Via Della Cave Aurelia  

Four cheese pizza

Price 7  9/10

Service 7.5/10

Taste 8.5

Overall 8.5

I'm going to miss this place when we move to Monti.  However I have found 5 pizza places within a couple hundred metres of our house so I will have a lot of work to do once we arrive.

Sorry for the delay.  I still have 2 more saved up for this next week - Monday and Wednesday and I didn't do an old one, but 4 reviews is still a lot in a week.

Happy pizzaing!

Experimenting with pizza

This week I decided to stray away from the tried and tested quattro formaggi (four cheese) pizza and try some different types of pizza.  I had been getting complaints that all my pizzas are boring and that I should branch out.  As my reviews will show, branching out is terrible and gorgonzola is the best thing ever created.

I met up with a friend of mine from work (Ben - the one from an unknown European country), his sister, boyfriend and pizza wife #1.  We have now signed a lease for a great place in Monti and decided that we should explore the area (neighbourhood just north of the Colosseum), which basically just meant looking for pizza places.  So after looking around we came across this place which looked fairly authentic and a place that locals would frequent.  We were wrong and it was terrible.  Company good.  Food bad.  I took a photo of the front of the place just to make sure that I never go back.

The menu was very limited and the pizzas selection was not really there.  So I decided to try something new (at least in Rome) and have a Calzone.  It was basically an egg and cheese calzone and it was pretty terrible.  It was a yellowy oozey thing.  I won't go into more details but it was the worst pizza I've had in Rome.

Price 7/10  ~10

Service 6/10

Taste 3/10

Overall 4/10

Too many good other places to check out.

It was Friday and I hadn't had another pizza so naturally I was starting to worry that I wouldn't get another one this week, especially since we were going away to the beach on Saturday and having tacos with friends on Sunday before seeing Superman.  So I had my first take out pizza experience in Rome and went back to Hosteria Pizza, which is just off via Gregorio VII and a favourite of mine.  It was ridiculously quick and awesome.  I didn't have the 4 cheese last time so felt like this was a new experience.  I also added extra Gorgonzola since I was eating at home and had the opportunity.  Their cheese was so much better, but more cheese never hurts unless you're Kim who thinks that Italian food "has too much cheesey".

Price 9/10  7 Euros!

Service 8/10 Took about 5 minutes

Taste 8/10 (could have been a tiny bit thicker - it didn't last long around me)

Overall 8.5 

Definitely worth going back whenever pizza wife #1 is away.  Gorgonzola and parmesan were especially good cheeses 

Saturday was a great trip up north to beaches just south of Pisa.  Well worth the train trip as there are fewer people, more pristine beaches and far less developed.  It was an adventure to get there but would be easy the second time and there are a huge number of places to explore.  It will be great to go back.

We had to catch a train back at 9pm which was a bit of an awkward time as the restaurants didn't open until 8 which didn't give us much time to eat.  After seeing a few seafood places that were all closed (and didn't have pizza) I got lucky as we found a bar that was open and also happened to serve pizza! 3 pizzas this week!  It was a very good week.  So we got to watch the sun set over the beach after a long day exploring, swimming and suntanning in Tuscany while having mohitos and pizza.  Sometimes it's pretty great being in Italy.  I went with my tried and true 4 cheese pizza.  Place was called Bagni Parrini.

Price 7/10 ~8

Service 8/10 - surprisingly friendly and pretty awesome cutlery

Taste 7/10

Overall 7.5  A good find - and mohitos don't hurt.

As promised, here is a review from a place from about a month ago after watching the Great Gatsby near Barberini station.  The place is apparently a chain and promises live jazz every night.  The jazz was a little different as they were playing covers of popular songs like Sweet Dreams by the Eurythmics.  Service was pretty poor as they gave us the wrong wine and didn't apologize.  The pizza was also fairly poor, but it was still fun talking about the movie and trying to guess the songs.  The pizza was probably the closest thing I've had to a froze american pizza.  Pretty greasy and really salty.  Didn't taste fresh at all.  But that being said, it was still pizza so pretty awesome.  The place was simply called Enoteca - Wine Bar, Pizzeria and has a sign outside saying live jazz tonight (every day)

Price 7/10 ~9

Service 6/10

Taste 6/10

Overall 6/10 - At least there was good company 

I have a pretty crazy couple of weeks coming up with visitors so while I'll be eating lots of pizza, I may be delayed on the reporting of the amazing pizza.